


I scream, you scream

by zach_stone



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mildly Angsty with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 15:45:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5876569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zach_stone/pseuds/zach_stone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We all scream 'cause we're terrified. </p>
<p>-</p>
<p>Josh has a bad day. Chris helps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I scream, you scream

**Author's Note:**

> tbh I wrote this at 1am instead of sleeping so I hope it holds up in the cold light of day. 
> 
> Shameless hurt/comfort mush because that's my jam. 
> 
> WARNINGS: Mention of self harm; depression; uhhhhh a couple pretty dirty swears but idk if that needs a warning? Just in case.
> 
> title from "forest" by twenty one pilots

Chris was already in the driveway of Mike’s house, ready to spend the rainy afternoon playing Super Smash Bros with Mike and Josh, when his phone buzzed with text messages.

 

> **j-wash:** hey man i’m not really feeling up to smash bros today. tell mike i’m sorry and i’ll raincheck you guys later. have fun anyways. sorry. 

 

> **han(nah) solo:** josh is having a bad day :( i’m worried about him

 

Chris sighed, frowning down at his phone and tapping his fingers lightly against the steering wheel for a moment. Then he got out of the car and knocked on Mike’s door. Mike opened it, looking eager and happy to see him, so Chris felt kind of bad when he said, “Mike, listen, I’m really sorry, but we’re gonna have to do Smash Bros another time.”

Mike looked confused. “But… you’re already here.”

“I know. It’s Josh, he’s having a bad day,” Chris said pointedly. Mike seemed to understand; even though he didn’t really “get” Josh’s struggles with his mental health, he tried his best to be respectful. He knew Chris could handle and understand things way better than he could, at any rate. 

“Bummer,” Mike said. “Okay, well, text me and we’ll reschedule. Tell Josh I hope he feels better or whatever.”

Chris smiled gratefully at him. “Will do. Thanks, dude.” He gave a little two-fingered wave before getting back into his car and driving up to the Washington estate. Beth answered the door when he knocked.

“Heya, Chris,” she said. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

“‘Sup?” he said easily. “Josh home?” She let him in the house, nodding.

“Yeah, he’s in his room. He’s… well, you know. He’s in one of his moods.” She glanced up at the ceiling as if she could see Josh moping above them.

“I gotcha. I’ll go talk to him.” Chris patted her arm and made his way upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. Josh’s door was closed. Chris knocked softly.

“What?” Josh’s voice floated through from the other side. He didn’t sound mad, just tired. Chris opened the door enough to poke his head in.

“Special delivery,” he said cheerfully. Josh was sitting on his bed, and he raised one eyebrow suspiciously at Chris.

“What’s the delivery?” he asked. Chris opened the door all the way and stepped into the room, holding out his arms.

“It’s me! Your very favorite boyfriend!” 

Josh snorted, the ghost of a smile crossing his face. “You’re my only boyfriend, jackass.”

Chris crossed the room and dropped down onto the bed next to Josh. “Which makes me your favorite,” he said. Josh’s smile faded and he sighed, leaning against Chris’s side. Chris put his arm around him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “What’s going on?” he asked gently.

Josh didn’t say anything for a minute or two. His breathing was slow, but nervous. His fingers fiddled with the loose threads in the knee of Chris’s jeans. Finally, he mumbled, “I almost relapsed last night.”

Chris stiffened for just a moment, his arm around Josh tightening slightly. “Oh,” he said, voice careful and even. “Well, that’s… that’s okay. You didn’t, that’s what matters.”

“I’m sorry,” Josh said. His voice was so quiet, Chris could barely hear him. Josh turned, pressing his face into the fabric of Chris’s sweater. Chris sighed, rubbing Josh’s back.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m sorry you were in a bad place last night. Why didn’t you call me?” He tried not to sound accusatory. Josh shrugged, face still hidden in Chris’s chest.

“Didn’t wanna be a bother,” he said. 

“Josh,” Chris chided. “You know you’re not a bother to me. Not ever.” 

Josh made a disbelieving noise, and Chris fought the urge to argue his point. Josh wouldn’t be receptive to that, not right now. He’d have to find a different approach. Struck with inspiration, he shook Josh’s shoulders slightly and said, “Hey, you know what? Let’s go for a walk.”

“It’s raining,” Josh said, lifting his head to look at Chris with confusion.

“So? Grab a coat, come on.” Chris stood up, and after a moment’s hesitation, Josh did too. He rummaged around in his closet for a minute before finding a hoodie that he’d borrowed (stolen) from Chris and pulled it on. Then he followed his boyfriend down the stairs to the foyer. “We’ll be back!” Chris called out to the rest of the house, and then he and Josh stepped outside into the rain. It wasn’t raining too hard, barely more than a sprinkle at this point, and the boys walked down the sidewalk with their hoods up, hands shoved in pockets. They were both quiet. 

“Where are we going?” Josh asked after a while, when it became clear Chris had a destination in mind.

“You’ll see,” Chris said. They kept walking, and eventually they arrived at The Pit. The Pit was a half-finished construction project that had been abandoned or put on hold a while back. It was just a giant pit in the middle of a lot, filled in with concrete like a huge empty swimming pool or something. Sometimes kids would skateboard in there, or have drunken parties before the cops busted them up, but today there was no one around. Chris came to a stop a few feet from the edge.

“What’re we doing here, dude?” Josh said, a slight edge of exasperation in his voice. Chris looked at him with a small smile.

“You’re in a bad mood, yeah? Feeling sad? But you’re also probably mad, right?” he asked. Josh shrugged, hunching his shoulders. “Well,” Chris went on, undeterred. “I thought you could get some of that out, right here.”

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?” Josh asked. 

“I’ve heard that screaming can be very therapeutic,” Chris said. “And I’ve also heard that The Pit has some wicked acoustics. Go on, try it!”

Josh was staring at him incredulously. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Come on, Josh. Scream!” Chris said this last word at top volume, his voice echoing nicely off the empty cement. Josh looked mortified.

“Dude, shhh,” he hissed. Chris put his hand on Josh’s shoulder, still smiling encouragingly.

“There’s no one around, dude. It’s fine. Just try it.”

Josh seemed to debate with himself for a moment, and then he let out a single “Aaaaagh!” kind of yell. He sounded ridiculous. Chris bit down on his bottom lip to keep from laughing. Josh looked askance at him and said, “Hey, shut up, this was your idea.”

“Don’t mind me,” Chris said. “Felt good, right?”

“A little,” Josh admitted. “You do something.”

Chris nodded. “Together, how about. Ready? One… two… three.” The two of them yelled loudly in the direction of The Pit. It sounded even louder bouncing back to them. Josh’s lips twitched. He yelled again, and it devolved into a laugh halfway through. Chris joined in, and then their chuckles were echoing around in The Pit and that only made them laugh more. Finally, their snickers faded, and Josh sighed. Chris walked closer to the edge of The Pit and sat down, patting the space next to him. Josh joined him, and they both sat with their legs swinging over the edge. 

“Did that help?” Chris asked. Josh nodded, staring down into the bottom of The Pit. A couple crumpled beer cans littered the spaces where the cement cracked, weeds poking through. Nature was nothing if not determined. 

“Thanks,” Josh said softly. He reached for Chris’s hand, not looking at him, and Chris threaded their fingers together. Josh squeezed once, twice, and then his grip went slack. He tapped the heel of his shoe against the cement wall. 

“What’s on your mind?” Chris asked. Josh took a deep breath, his chest visibly heaving with it. 

“Sometimes I wish I could just disappear,” he said. 

Chris swallowed the sudden ache in his throat. “You mean like, die?” he asked.

Josh shook his head slowly. “Not always. Just… leave. Sometimes I think about it. What would happen if I just vanished one day. Dropped out of existence. You know?”

“Well I hate to break it to ya, Josh, but you’re not allowed to vanish. Not on my watch,” Chris said. Josh finally looked at him. That faint half-smile returned to his face.

“Maybe you can come with me, then,” he said.

“You wanna run away together?” Chris said. “I’m down, man. We can elope, whatever you want.”

Josh snorted. “Here I am saying I wish I didn’t exist, and you’re talking marriage.” His tone was light enough, but tinged with sadness. “...I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Chris asked, rubbing his thumb over Josh’s fingers. 

“For being such a downer. For bailing today. You could’ve still hung out without me, y’know,” he said. 

“You kidding? What’s the fun in Smash Bros if you’re not there to kick Mike’s ass?” Chris said. “That’s like, ninety percent of the reason I even go.”

“You know I cheat, right?” Josh asked.

Chris nodded sagely. “Oh yeah. It’s okay, though. Someone’s gotta keep Mike humble.”

Josh made a derisive noise. “The day Mike Munroe is humble is the day I sprout wings and fly to the fucking moon.”

Chris laughed at that, and even Josh cracked a real smile. He scooted closer to Chris, leaning his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. Chris let the silence stretch between them, watching the rain leave patterns on the cement below. 

“Would you really marry me?” Josh asked suddenly. Chris smiled at the question.

“Yeah. I’m serious, dude. You just say the word, we’ll run off to Vegas and get hitched.” He felt Josh shift beside him, and then Josh lifted his head and kissed Chris’s cheek. Chris looked at him, fondness swelling in his chest. 

“I love you,” Josh mumbled. He closed his eyes, bumping his forehead gently with Chris’s. 

“I love you,” Chris replied. “So much.”

“Thanks for coming over,” Josh said. “And for taking me out here. I thought you were just being weird, but… it helped.”

“I’m never weird,” Chris said indignantly. “I’m completely normal and serious, all the time.” 

“Sure,” Josh said, rolling his eyes. He elbowed Chris in the ribs. “Dare you to shout something dirty into The Pit.”

_ “ Joshua _ _,”_ Chris exclaimed, mock-aghast. “You want me to defile The Pit with foul language?” 

“Shut up and do it or I’ll push you in there, nerd,” Josh said.

“Okay, okay, sheesh,” Chris said. After a moment’s contemplation, he bellowed, “Motherfucker!” 

Josh snickered. “Nicely done. But did you consider this?” He took a deep breath and shouted, “Cocksucker!”

They spent another minute or two screaming profanities into The Pit before Chris started to actually get wary of someone coming by, or hearing them and calling the cops. He tugged on Josh’s hand. “Okay, time to head back. I think we’ve thoroughly scandalized The Pit.” 

“I’m sure it’s heard worse,” Josh said dismissively, but he relented and allowed Chris to pull him to his feet. They continued to hold hands on the walk back to Josh’s house, swinging their arms slightly between them. Josh seemed happier than when Chris had first arrived, and Chris felt a surge of relief. Some days it was nearly impossible to get Josh out of a funk. When that happened, they rode it out together, but whenever Chris was able to help, even minutely, he was happy. 

They got back to the house, shivering a little when they crossed the threshold and the warm air hit them. They shrugged out of their sweaters and Josh tossed them in the dryer. Then the two of them went back upstairs to Josh’s room. Josh promptly kicked off his wet pants and crawled under his comforter in his underwear and T-shirt. Chris followed suit, and their bare legs tangled together under the covers. Josh reached out to rub his hand up and down Chris’s bicep. 

“Wanna stay for dinner?” he asked. Chris nodded.

“You know it,” he said. “How’re you feeling?”

“A little better,” Josh sighed. “I feel bad for ditching Mike. Maybe we can go over tomorrow.” 

“I’m down for that,” Chris said. He paused, then said uncertainly, “Josh? I meant what I said, you know. You’re not allowed to just vanish. Okay?”

Josh smiled sadly. “I know. I’m not going to, Chris.”

“I’m just making sure.”

“Well, now that we’ve got some Vegas wedding to plan for, I think I’ve gotta stick around,” he teased. Chris smiled. 

“That’s right. We’ll get married by an Elvis impersonator. It’ll be the tackiest thing ever. I’ll wear a tie that lights up and shit.”

“That sounds awful,” Josh said. “I can’t wait to see it.” 

Chris hummed in agreement, kissing the tip of Josh’s nose. Josh tilted his head up and captured Chris’s lips with his, a sweet kiss. And even though they were joking about the Vegas wedding, Chris felt with a strong conviction that they would get married one day. Or maybe not; maybe a wedding wasn’t going to be their thing. But either way, he knew they were in it for the long haul. The thought made him smile against Josh’s mouth.

“What is it?” Josh asked.

“Just thinking,” Chris said. He brushed his hand through Josh’s hair. “I really love you.”

“Yeah,” Josh said, closing his eyes and leaning into Chris’s touch. “I really love you, too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to parks and rec for inspiring the pit


End file.
